


The Stars Pale In Comparison To You, My Dear

by Lady_Katana4544 (orphan_account)



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Warden Bethany Hawke, background Female Hawke and Fenris
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-08-29 07:27:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16739677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Lady_Katana4544
Summary: Quiet shared moments for Varric and Bethany together.





	The Stars Pale In Comparison To You, My Dear

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LadyNorbert](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyNorbert/gifts).



Of all the people that Varric liked to watch, Bethany was often his most favorite and first choice for people watching. She outpaces Bianca as the most beautiful person in his life currently.

He admires her kindhearted soul in a world of darkness, dangerous enemies, and deceit. Despite all of that she still loves everyone around herself freely and easily.

He loves to watch her practice her magical skills alongside her sister - at least until the time for when she will eventually depart with the Grey Wardens.

"Here you are. Take this."

Startled slightly from his wandering attention, he looks up to meet the object of his thoughts; Bethany's soft expression as she leans down to hand something in a steaming cup to him. 

"Thank you, Sunshine."

Carefully he takes it from Bethany, his eyes looking away from her into the steaming cup. Once she's removed her staff from behind her back, Bethany carefully sits next to him after retrieving her own from a nearby side table.

"No thanks needed, Varric. Just thought you might like some hot chocolate. I hope you don't mind me sitting with you either," Bethany answers softly, shrugging one shoulder. A mischievous look crosses her face. "From Carver's "secret" stash. That he claims belongs to mother of course."

Trying not to choke, he sips from it, using the cup to hide his smile and watches the smile grown on Bethany's face. He enjoyed the thoughtfulness put into the gesture and her coming over to sit with him.

"I don't mind at all, Sunshine."

He enjoyed these small moments of quiet that they managed to find together in between the missions they took with Hawke. He wished that they could have moments like this forever. 

In his heart, he hoped that Bethany, just maybe, wanted the same thing as he did. The appearance of Marian Hawke walking into the room and Fenris just behind her breaks up the quiet moment they were having.

"Why does he deserve hot chocolate and I don't?" Marian asked, with an amused look in her eyes.

"Because Varric is my favorite Dwarf, who looked he needed some hot chocolate and company," Bethany answered with a slight shrug as she bumped shoulders with Varric. "Besides you and Fenris were out, Maker knows where when I started making it."

Varric settles in with a grin and his gift of hot chocolate while Fenris snorts softly and calmly rolls his eyes as the two siblings bicker between them.

*

Falling in love with Varric is unexpected, but very easy to do. Bethany doesn't quite realize that she has until days after an incident of kissing her friend and then falling into a nest of rats while on a scouting mission with him.

She loves the way that the sun shines its light on Varric and shows the little reddish blond bits of hair that lurk in Varric's brown hair.

With a soft sigh, she looks up from the notebook that she's been doodling away in and meets Varric's content gaze with a small smile across the table of the inn that their group is staying in for the night.

"I just realized something."

"Yeah? What's that, Sunshine?"

Bethany even finds that she loves the nickname that he's given her along with how it falls like gentle silk from his soft lips.

"I love you, Varric."

Varric beams at her before reaching across the table to squeeze her hand gently. He kisses the top of her lightly with that beautiful, beaming smile on his lips.

"I love you too, Sunshine."

*

As the stars twinkled merrily up above them in a dark sky; Varric blinked as he came to the brilliant realization that he realized if not for the first time that he was in love with Hawke's sister, Bethany. Likely not the first time he recognized it. Perhaps, now was a point that he finally had a name for what he felt for her so long after the mess of his relationship with Bianca.

Love.

Sighing softly, he turned his head slightly to look at the young human laying on the ground with her. Breathing in her scent with that of the dewy grass around them, Varric knew she could count the dots –freckles her friend called them– that lined Bethany’s skin. He also knew just how many patterns were formed by them both on her rosy cheeks and along her shoulders.

“I can feel you staring, Varric.”

He heard the smile in Bethany’s voice and smiled softly at her.

“Well Sunshine, maybe I’m staring at you because I've found something in my life currently that outshines the beauty of the stars above us.”

He watches with some trepidation as she opens her eyes, wondering if he was about to lose Bethany and her friendship. After a few moments of her just looking at him quietly, Bethany smiles gently and cups his cheeks with both hands.

"I love you too, Varric."

She kisses him soundly after saying that to him.

*

The road had been long and dangerous to this point, but it was completely worth it, he thinks to come to this place. It was their shared little secret among the bigger secrets that he kept; confidences he retained from the Inquisition once the Grey Wardens faced exile from Thedas again.

The chimney of their modest little place has smoke gently flowing out of it as he gets close enough to see that someone is indeed inside it. He wonders who else might even know of the place and how they could have found it with the charms that Varric knows he saw Bethany place around the area and on the building itself.

Silently, he opens the door and pushes it quietly to peer inside at whoever is on the other side of the door. His quickened heartbeat slows down as he realizes who the occupant is; warmth floods his heart at the sight of her.

“Waiting for someone?”

Surprised, she whirled around to meet his amused gaze. Varric smiled softly at her surprise.

“Varric,” Bethany breathed out, her surprise easily heard.

“Hello, Sunshine,” Varric responded softly.

“You’re here,” Bethany stated. "I was so worried that you wouldn't come. Or that something that had happened to you. Again."

“Yeah sorry for the delay. But I managed to sneak away without Sister Nightingale sending people after me. I was careful though to make sure I wasn't followed” Varric responded, her expression apologetic. “I apologize for not contacting you sooner.”

“I’m just glad that you’re here, Varric,” Bethany said as she leaned towards Varric with a small smile on her face.

They kissed under the light of the stars, twinkling through the open doorway.


End file.
